Vancouver Mural Festival – vol. 2

Welcome to the Vancouver Mural Festival, an annual event which promotes local and international artists that are transforming the streets of the city into public art pieces. Street Art brings colour to otherwise blank or empty spaces in the urban setting, and we were excited to see how these talented artists transformed these spaces into their canvasses. It has become one of the city’s can’t miss events, and this year there were many great additions to the empty walls around Main Street, and we are excited to showcase some of the newest pieces of artwork.

One of the highlights this year is located in downtown Vancouver on Georgia Street, the impressive 20-story tall “Earth Justice” by artist Shepard Fairly, who is famous for creating the iconic “Hope” poster used during Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign. This was obviously the largest of the new murals, but there are over 20 new pieces that were added for 2019. The Mural Festival takes place over a week in August, and the main event is held along Main Street during the final Saturday, with bands, food trucks, live demonstrations and street closures as part of the festival.

A couple weeks ago we featured a post with pictures from 2017’s Vancouver Mural Festival, and we are excited to follow up with more pictures from this incredible event. Unfortunately we couldn’t attend this year’s main event – the Mural Festival Street Party – which was held on August 10th along Main Street, where many of the new murals have been installed. Fortunately for us, the artwork and murals are here to stay, and over the last few weeks we have visited some of the newest additions to the streets of Vancouver.

The event was originally created to promote the local art scene and leave a lasting legacy on the streets of the city. The Vancouver Mural Festival is organized by the Create Vancouver Society, a Registered Non-Profit, with the aim to promote artistic and cultural development in the Lower Mainland. Have a look at the Vancouver Mural Festival website for more information about some of the events taking place, as well as an interactive map to plan a self-guided tour.

Our events and public art installations serve as catalysts for addressing many of the socio-cultural issues facing our city and artistic communities. These include, but are not limited to: public art policy, community building, environmental policy, reconciliation with First Nations, artistic censorship, diversity, cost of living, and the need for culturally sustainable development practices.

– Vancouver Mural Festival (www.vanmuralfest.ca)

We hope you enjoy our latest post, featuring some of the latest pieces scattered around the city. The best way to see them all is to take a walking tour of Main Street, and it is well worth a half-afternoon of exploration. We’re already excited about next year’s event, and the beautiful art that is bound to be added to the walls of the city. Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, here are some of our favourite pictures from this year’s Vancouver Mural Festival.

Vancouver Mural Festival 2019

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